Faculty 360
Spring 2018
Deanna Barthlow-Potkanowicz
What drew you to the field of psychology?
I was a 4-H member for ten years, and as a teenager, I helped lead sewing and cooking
classes for younger members. I noticed that girls as young as 9 years old were concerned
about weight and body shape, and this was both surprising and sad to me. Later, I
completed training to volunteer as a peer counselor at my high school. By the time
I got to college, I knew that I wanted to provide therapy to people struggling with
eating disorders. Prior to working at Bluffton, I was the coordinator for an eating
disorders treatment team at a university counseling center, which was challenging
but rewarding work.
What new interests are you pursuing?
I was awarded a BURC (Bluffton University Research Center) grant this summer to study
the current controversy around trigger warnings. A trigger warning is an alert to
students that they will be reading, hearing and discussing topics that might be emotionally
challenging, such as sexual assault or suicide. Some scholars criticize trigger warnings
as impinging on free speech, and their use has become a divisive issue. But, as a
clinical psychologist, it makes sense to me to give students a “heads-up” to help
them mentally prepare before engaging with material to which they might have a personal
connection.
Share a memorable moment in your life that shaped who you are today.
I don’t know that there’s one moment, but the four years I spent at my alma mater,
Lycoming College, were very influential. Several professors, both in and out of my
major, impacted the person I’ve become. The professor who advised my honors project
helped prepare me for graduate school and is still a mentor for me today. That same
professor gave me advice that I now use with my advisees: when I was a senior, I was
looking for electives, and I asked if there were additional psychology classes I should
take, but he advised me to take courses outside my major instead. He cautioned that
grad school is narrowly focused and that I should study other areas while I had the
chance. So, that year, I took courses in sociology, genetics and history and found
that I really enjoyed them.
Dr. Deanna Barthlow-Potkanowicz is assistant professor of psychology at Bluffton.
Psychology at Bluffton >>>